By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Thursday said President Bola Tinubu’s directive ordering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to reverse the freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts had undermined claims that the anti-graft agency operates independently of the Presidency.
Rather than settling the controversy over the account freeze, the President’s intervention has shifted attention to two broader questions, the opposition party said: whether the EFCC truly acts independently and whether the court order cited by the President ever existed.
The position was contained in a statement by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who welcomed the reversal but said the President’s explanation had raised ‘far more troubling questions than it answers’ as he questioned the alleged court order, the EFCC’s actions and the Presidency’s role in the matter.
“If the President possesses the authority to direct the EFCC to withdraw from court proceedings because the political consequences may affect an election, then it follows that he possesses the authority to direct the Commission in other operational matters as well.
“The net implication is that the carefully cultivated argument that these agencies operate entirely independently collapses under the weight of the President’s own statement,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC also disputed President Tinubu’s claim that the EFCC acted on the strength of a court order, saying the commission had consistently defended the account freeze on the basis of its statutory powers and ‘preventive mandate’ without mentioning judicial authorisation.
It challenged the President to explain where the alleged order came from and why the EFCC never referred to it in its official statements or media appearances.
“It is either the President was misinformed or he had chosen to misrepresent the facts. Either possibility is deeply disturbing,” Abdullahi said.
The party further argued that the President’s public directive to the EFCC to discontinue the case contradicted repeated assurances that anti-corruption agencies carry out their duties without political interference.
“Rather than demonstrating institutional independence, it confirms that the Presidency could whimsically intervene or direct one way or another based on political considerations,” the statement added.
The ADC also questioned why the announcement was issued as a personally signed statement by President Tinubu rather than through the Presidency’s established communication channels, saying the unusual approach only fuelled public suspicion.
“This solo performance by the President actually exposes more than it was intended to conceal,” Abdullahi said.
According to the party, the EFCC reversed course not because of a sudden commitment to democratic principles but because of widespread condemnation from Nigerians, civil society groups and political parties, who viewed the account freeze as an abuse of state power capable of affecting the forthcoming Osun governorship election.
“It was the overwhelming condemnation from Nigerians, civil society, political parties, and the wider public who recognised the account freezing for what it was: an extraordinary abuse of state power meant to influence the outcome of the governorship election,” the statement said.
The ADC added that having demonstrated the authority to halt one anti-corruption case in the name of democratic fairness, President Tinubu should apply the same principle to the case involving former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
“Perhaps he should also consider directing the ICPC and its counsel to stop opposing the bail application of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai,” the statement added.
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